Markapuram: Tribal areas also to have super speciality hospitals

Markapuram: The tribal people in the State will have their own super speciality hospital for any treatment and a university in which they get higher education opportunities, including the engineering and medical courses, announced Education Minister Dr Audimulapu Suresh.

He participated as the chief guest at the celebrations of International Day of Indigenous People at Dornala on Monday.

Speaking at the programme, the Minister said that the State government is committed to the welfare of the tribal people and is planning for the holistic development of the tribal areas. He informed that the government has already announced a tribal university, a super speciality hospital, mother and child hospital at Markapuram and a developing the existing hospital in Yerragondapalem into a 100-bed hospital.

He said that the super speciality hospital would be constructed at the cost of Rs 46 crore while Rs 26 crore to be spent for upgrading the government hospital in Yerragondapalem. With the medical facilities, the Minister said, the tribal people will receive treatment for all health issues in near future. He also said that the works of the tribal university will be started once the tenders are called.

He informed the tribal people that their children will get the opportunity to study engineering and medicine at the university colleges along with other courses. He also informed that all tribal residential schools under ITDAs will be provided with the required infrastructure in the second phase of the Nadu-Nedu programme.

Minister Suresh responded to the pleas of the tribal people and assured them that the basic infrastructure like electricity, roads, schools will be provided to the tribal hamlets.

He also ordered the Forest department officials to stop harassing the tribal people over petty things. The Minister also assured them that their demand to identify the region of their hamlets in Nallamala forest as Agency area will be taken to the notice of the government.

Responding to the complaint from the residents of Indira Nagar in Dornala that the roads and houses are inundating even for a small rain, the Minister visited the area with the local leaders and officials.

He walked in the waterlogged areas and observed the situation of the colony. He said that necessary steps will be taken to address the issues in the colony and better infrastructure will be provided to the area soon.